Volcano ash cloud stops Aussie flights
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A volcanic eruption in Indonesia has sent ash clouds towards Australia, shutting down Darwin airport and disrupting travel around the country.

news.com.au

31 May 2014

News

FLIGHTS across northern Australia are expected to resume today, despite earlier fears that ash from an Indonesian volcano could ground planes for days.

Regional carrier Airnorth is operating and Jet Star flights will likely resume as plumes from the volcano clear throughout the day, Darwin International Airport spokeswoman Virginia Sanders told AAP.

Qantas and Virgin are expected to make a decision on their flights by 10am, while it’s unclear whether an Air Asia flight from Bali is going ahead.

Earlier this morning, Virgin cancelled a flight from Denpasar that was due in at 7.35am today, and Jet Star cancelled a flight from Darwin that was due in at 11am.

A Qantas flight from Adelaide to Darwin, scheduled to leave at 10.30am, is expected to be delayed by a couple of hours.

LUCKY Paula Brand and her son Cooper Richardson of Gulfview Heights at Adelaide Airport were glad they booked a direct flight to Denpasar because it would avoid the ash cloud from the volcano in Indonesia. Picture: Campbell BrodieSource: News Limited

Darwin was completely cut off to all air services on Saturday as three separate ash plumes billowed from an Indonesian volcano.

The Sangeang Api volcano off the Indonesian island of Sumbawa erupted continuously after an initial blast on Friday afternoon. The major plume affecting Australian aviation swept southeast over the west side of the Northern Territory and as far south as Alice Springs.

An Adelaide Airport spokesman said passengers should check with their airline if they were unsure that their flight would go ahead.

Emile Jansons, manager of the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, said the plumes affecting Darwin are expected to clear within the next 12 hours.

“We’re seeing a weakening trend in terms of ash being detected,” he told AAP.

“The weather pattern has changed so that it’s less likely to come down and affect Australian airspace.”

He stressed the plumes posed no threat to the health of people on the ground and wouldn’t even be noticed by the naked eye.

Hundreds of Adelaide passengers were affected by cancelled flights yesterday, including two from Adelaide to Darwin — QF754, which was due to depart at 8.40am, and JQ091 at 4pm.

The ash cloud also forced two scheduled flights from Darwin to Adelaide to be scrapped, QF757 and JQ092, as well as Virgin’s international route from Adelaide to Denpasar, which was due to leave Australia at 1.45pm (VA033) and a flight from Denpasar to Adelaide due home in the early hours of yesterday morning (VA032).

A seventh flight was also in limbo — Jetstar’s Adelaide to Denpasar flight due to leave at 5.50pm — but an Adelaide Airport spokesman said last night it went ahead. “We advise people to contact the airlines (about flight cancellations),” he said.

The resumption of services to and from Darwin allayed fears that the impact of the eruption could last for days.

“Depending on wind and other weather conditions, the ash has the potential to affect flights to and from other airports, including Brisbane, during coming days. This is currently being fully assessed,” Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss warned yesterday.

Volcanic ash can affect all aircraft with piston or jet engines at all flight levels, CASA warned. Fine particles of pulverised rock consisting mainly of silica contained in volcanic ash clouds can be highly abrasive and damage aircraft engines, structures and windows.

“Commercial air operators and private pilots planning to fly in this area should conduct a safety risk assessment before any flights,” a spokesman said.

“CASA recommends flights are not conducted into areas with visible volcanic ash clouds. Flights into areas with low levels of ash contamination should only be conducted after a safety risk assessment has been carried out.”

However the decision whether or not to fly is a safety and economic decision that rests with individual airlines.

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